The Lads Were Up For It - Keith Hill

Manager Keith Hill says “all that mattered was the three points”, as he reflected on Dale’s derby day win over Bury at the Crown Oil Arena.

Ian Henderson netted from the spot before half-time to give Rochdale the lead, before Nathaniel Mendez-Laing doubled Dale’s advantage in the second half to claim a deserved victory.

“All that mattered was the three points, that’s all we spoke about,” Hill told Dale PlayerHD.

"It’s not about the football [in derby games], it’s about the winning. That’s all I emphasised to the players - you’ve got to run quicker, run harder, run more, head more, track more and you’ve got to do everything you possibly can to win the game, and we did that.

“I thought it was a highly competitive game. I thought the tempo in the first ten or fifteen minutes was electric. Bury are a good side, there’s no question about that, and we had to play at our very best.

“The lads were up for up for it because they know how important the game is and they were confident as well. We were confident in selecting the right side for the opposition.

“I thought we managed the opposition very, very well and it was reflected in the scoreline.

On the goals, he commented: “It was a brilliant time to take the lead. I can understand why the opposition bench have got a little bit of a grievance concerning the penalty decision but I’m not bothered.

“The lead up to the second goal was quality from [Andy Cannon]. All the hard-work, the energy, the enthusiasm and the effort is a skill in itself, but to actually produce that bit of skill like he did, is absolutely

superb. Nathaniel then finished it superbly so I’m really pleased.

“And we could have scored more in the second half. We also started the game superbly as well because we had a goal scoring chance in virtually the first 30 seconds. I’m really pleased with the three points.”